Wire fastener



Aug 1931- N. H. F. ZIEDRICH 1,818, 23

I WIRE FASTENER Filed May 1'7, 1929 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 11,1931 I UNITED ST PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM H. F. z'innnicn, or senBRUNOQCALIFORNIA WIRE FASTENER Application filed May 17,1929. Serial No.363,925. r

This invention relates to wire fasteners and, among other objects, aimsto provide an improved preassembled fastener including a nail andspacing element welladapted for use in securing reinforcing wire tosheathing to hold .the wire uniformly spaced from the sheathing wherebyit will be'embedded in the plaster or stucco applied thereto. Thisapplicationinvolves an improvement on my application, Serial No.282,431, filed Fi 3 is a side elevation artl in section and on anenlarged scale, of the fastener shown in Figs. 1 and 2; and

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view, on an en larged scale, of the fastenershown in Fig. 8.

Referring particularly to the drawings, the preferred form ofpre-assembled fastener is shown in Figs. 2, 3 and at as comprising agalvanized furring nail 10 having an enlarged head 11 and a taperedpoint 12 penetrating and positively secured to the head 13 of acup-shaped spacer button let having an enlarged annular flange 15adapted to abut the sheathing the building paper.

As set forth in my aforesaid application, the button member 14; ispreferably formed by die stamping operations and is conveniently made ofsome relatively soft sheet metal such as brass, bronze, or the like sothat it is practically rust-proof, and further, so that it may be easilypenetrated by the point of one of the nails. thickness of the button issuch that it will properly space the reenforcing wire from the sheathinit being understood that it may be made of various thicknesses dependingupon the particular requirements.

or the outer surface of Moreover, the

assemble each spacer and nail on thejob,

they are pre-assembled and finally secured together so that they areready to be applied very quickly and so that the carpenter may take themout of his pocket, one at atime, and slip 'the buttons under one or morestrands of'the taut wire 16 where they are I held ready to be struckwith ahammer to clamp the wire between the nail heads and the buttonheads.

The nails and the buttons are assembled by driving the nail pointsthrough the button heads so that the points of the nails are about flushwith the bases of the buttons, the tapered ends of the nails beingprefer-' ably though not necessarily, a little longer than the depth ofthe buttons. To secure the nails to the buttons, the lower ends of thenailsare shown as being swaged, conveniently by driving'them into aswaging die or, if desired, by a spinning operation, so that theypresent tangs 17 4 (Fig. 3 which prevent the buttons from workinglooseand slipping off due to handling. These tangs are shown as beinglocated near the upper part of button immediately below or adjacent tothe jagged ends produced by puncturin the bead.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, it will be seen that the heads of thefur-ring nailsand the heads of the buttons are of substantially the samediameter, so that they present relatively wide gripping surfaces. Whenthe nails are driven home to grip the wire strands "against the buttonheads, the but-" tons are somewhat deformed by the wire. and thisprevents the wire from pulling out when the plaster or stucco isapplied.- Moreover, the cups provide an air space between the buildingpaper and the button heads to permit expansion and contraction, withoutcracking the-plaster or stucco after it has set." However, the strengthof the buttons is such that an ordinary hammer blowtwill not crush themand affect the proper spacing of the stretched wire from the sheathing.Further, the tangs produced by the swaging operation on the nail pointsserve to prevent the nails from being drawn out of the sheathing. Also.the

shanks of the nails will seal the openings in the heads of the buttonsso that no moisture can penetrate them and rust out the nails in thehollow portions of the buttons.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that the fastenersmay be made very economically and are assembled ready for instantapplication. A carpenter can save about one-third of his time by usingthem instead of the nails and spacers which have to be assembled on thejob or other types of assembled fasteners which present jagged orpointed portions and which are apt to stick together in his pocket. By

reason of the buttons being securely'fastened on the nails so that thepoints of the nails come about flush with the bases of the buttons,they'may be pushed .between the strands of the stretched wire and thebuildingpaper without tearingthepaper. V The buttons provide substantialbraces for the I nails and will withstand the tremendous strainsimpartedto them by the weight of the plaster or stucco without pullingout the nails.

Another advantage resides in the fact that the punctured opening in thecap of the button is completely sealed by. the nail. Further, .thebutton is not subject to destructive expansion and contraction whichwould crack the plaster or stucco. Also, the projections or tangs on thenail points produced by the swaging operation enables the nails to holdfirmly in place when they are driven into the sheathing.

Obviously the present invention is not restricted to the particularembodiment thereof herein shown and described.

What is claimed is: i

1. In combination with a furring nail, a soft sheet metal spacer buttonhaving a deformable head positively secured to and interlocked with thetapered end. of the nail operating with the punctured projections of thebutton head to hold the button head assembled 011 the nail so that thepoint of the nail does not project beyond the plane of the base of thebutton'mernber, whereby the button member may be pushed under thestrands of a reenforcing wire and the nail point will not tear thesheathing.

5. A spacing fastener of the class described, comprising,in combination,a cupshaped, button member having a continuous, annular base flange anda head of substanthe building paper on tial area; a naildriven part wayinto the head to puncture the same; and swaged tangs on the nail to holdthe button assembled, said button being adapted to be slid under astrandof wirev and be held thereby, and being made of such material as toprovide adequate strength to withstand the strains to which it issubjected by the weight of plaster or stucco.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing. as my own, have hereto affixedmy signature. i

VILLIAM H. F. ZIEDRICH.

so that the nail point lies substantially flush i with the base of thebutton.

2. A spacing fastener of the class described comprising, in combination,a stamped out cup-shaped button member; of relatively soft metal havinga head and a continuous flanged base; a furring nail driven through thehead and positively secured to and interlocked with its pointed endlying about flush with the base of the button so that the base of thebutton may be slid or pushed over building paper to set the head underreenforcing strands and the nail point will not tear the paper.

3. A spacing fastener for securing reenforcing wire to sheathingcomprising, 111

combination, a cup-shaped button member made of relatively soft sheetmetal and presenting an enlarged annular base flange; a deformablebutton head of substantial area; a furring nail penetrating the buttonhead and presenting outwardly projecting tangs holding the button headassembled

